UAA 2017

Started by blooter442, May 22, 2017, 09:32:58 PM

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Caz Bombers

Quote from: Mr.Right on August 18, 2017, 11:43:59 AM
Cal Tech has a girl on their roster? If true that should be a big feature on D3soccer.com along with the other story I have been interested since the winter about NYU's Men's Head Coach being a woman. Would love to hear from the players and how the transition has been.

according to their website roster, Caltech had several women on the men's team last year and presumably this was a regular occurrence in previous seasons. Caltech has added women's soccer as a varsity sport for 2017, but apparently not playing a full SCIAC schedule.

Here in New York, I have run across several small colleges (don't believe any of them were D3 or NCAA at all) that have done soccer as a co-ed endeavor. Same for basketball (one or two women on the men's team).

UAA Insider

Recap from the first weekend:

Brandeis - Lost 3-2 to Cortland and then beat Hobart 2-1. We saw them struggle early last year and turn it around, so this shouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to them.

Carnegie Mellon - 2-1 Loss to Kenyon and then a BIG 5-0 win over Denison. The loss obviously hurts but a good rebound by the Tartans.

Case Western - Won 1-0 over Mt. Union and then tied DePauw 0-0. Unconvincing win but a decent result on the road against a solid DePauw side.

Chicago - 2-1 win over Whitworth and 4-0 win over Knox. Heard they didn't look too good against Whitworth but still are heavy favorites this season.

Emory - Two wins over NC Wesleyan and Pacific Lutheran.

NYU - 0-0 tie with Brooklyn and 3-1 win over FDU. Anyone understand why NYU never schedules anyone tough for nonconference games? I feel like this hurts them come tournament time.

Rochester - Two wins over Misericordia and Illinois Wesleyan. Not big wins but can't complain about a 2-0 start.

Wash U - 1-1 tie to Wartburg followed by a big win at #23 Luther.

Big week for the UAA ahead as CMU plays Redlands, Brandeis plays Babson, CWRU plays Calvin, Emory plays W&L (not sure if W&L are as good as last year), and Chicago against Carthage (probably game of the weekend).

4samuy

Chicago did not look all that good against Whitworth,  but I thought Whitworth played well.  Whitworth finished their road trip with a 2-1 2ot loss at #19 Benedictine and today beat a pretty good North Park squad 2-1, who had beat Benedictine 3-0 a few days earlier. Go figure, its college soccer.

All that being said, Chicago eviscerated a pretty decent knox team today, 4-0, and it realistically could have been 6 or 7. the second half was a dominant performance by Chicago pelting shot after shot, missing high, wide and off the post to a game shot advantage of 27-9.

blooter442

Quote from: UAA Insider on September 04, 2017, 09:24:39 PM
Recap from the first weekend:

Brandeis - Lost 3-2 to Cortland and then beat Hobart 2-1. We saw them struggle early last year and turn it around, so this shouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to them.

In terms of the opening game, I knew that Cortland was a good side, but it completely passed me by that they were a Sweet 16 team last year. Although it was disappointing to see the Judges concede 3 goals, no shame in that result considering the opposition.

The Hobart game was touch-and-go, and I feel that the Judges were lucky to get out of that one with a win. Yet considering Brandeis was 0-2-1 in 2OT last September, perhaps this team is better capable of grinding out results at an earlier stage.

Still a bit unsure of the team defensively -- Woodhouse returns, but both CBs graduated -- although it appears that Vinson is playing CB, so only one "new" player in the heart of defense as opposed to (what I thought would be) two. We'll see how they hold up against Babson at home. I think the Beavers will be dangerous, particularly after getting their first victory in five years over the Judges last season, although they are 0-4-1 at Brandeis since the turf was laid. Both teams will be hungry. Should be a great match.

Quote from: 4samuy on September 04, 2017, 09:46:23 PM
Chicago did not look all that good against Whitworth,  but I thought Whitworth played well.  Whitworth finished their road trip with a 2-1 2ot loss at #19 Benedictine and today beat a pretty good North Park squad 2-1, who had beat Benedictine 3-0 a few days earlier. Go figure, its college soccer.

All that being said, Chicago eviscerated a pretty decent knox team today, 4-0, and it realistically could have been 6 or 7. the second half was a dominant performance by Chicago pelting shot after shot, missing high, wide and off the post to a game shot advantage of 27-9.

I think Chicago has an excellent chance to repeat in the UAA this year. The big thing for me is whether they learned from last year's tournament loss -- particularly how to handle being down at critical points in critical games. It is plausible that not losing a regular season game all year made the Maroons a little unprepared for what happened against Redlands, and while they almost got back to 3-3 when Lopez hit the post, it did seem they were a bit flustered. I thought it was very unfortunate that such a good team had its season ended that way, but I think they have more than enough to make a deep run this year.

blue_jays

Now that Chicago has a target on its back after 2016's accomplishments, I'll be curious to see how teams game plan for them this year and which squads will try to take the fight to them. Frequently last season, teams seemed content to just pack it in behind the ball and rely on getting counter attacks for their best chances on goal. 3 of the 4 starters on the back line are freshmen/sophomores this year, with Capotosto as the midfield anchor to stop rushes and Bonin as the four-year starter in goal. Their defense was best in the nation last year, but there are new parts to incorporate this time around.
As stout as the defense has been, the relentless offensive pressure is what really sets the pace of the game. Max Lopez is one of the most dangerous forwards in the country, and the whole back line has to account for him, 1v1 is not an option. Matthew Koh is the quickest player on any pitch he steps on, and his straight-line speed bends the entire defense and allows for plenty of centering chances on goal. Dayo Adeosun has all the tools/skills to be elite as well, and he covers a ton of ground with good dribbling ability.
The Redlands disappointment from last year came down to two factors.
1.) All 3 goals allowed were preventable and derived from big mistakes (bad foul leads to set piece header that was unmarked, turnover on a potential Chicago counter that instantly turned into a 1v1 against them, mis-hit clearance that went straight in the air and was headed into open goal).
2.) Redlands did not allow Chicago freedom of movement in the attacking third. Every time an attacker tried to dribble into space, they were bodied and fouled. The middle became choked with bodies and stifled the build-up.
Will teams try to replicate that physical sort of game to slow them down? Or will they try to run with them? We shall see.

LM3

Quote from: 4samuy on September 04, 2017, 09:46:23 PM
Chicago did not look all that good against Whitworth,  but I thought Whitworth played well.  Whitworth finished their road trip with a 2-1 2ot loss at #19 Benedictine and today beat a pretty good North Park squad 2-1, who had beat Benedictine 3-0 a few days earlier. Go figure, its college soccer.

All that being said, Chicago eviscerated a pretty decent knox team today, 4-0, and it realistically could have been 6 or 7. the second half was a dominant performance by Chicago pelting shot after shot, missing high, wide and off the post to a game shot advantage of 27-9.

Late to this discussion, but Whitworth was a good opponent, and fine competition for all three Chicago area squads Labor Day Weekend. All that said, Chicago sure appears to be a top team...again.

UAA Insider

Good 2 wins for CMU on the West Coast. Watched their game vs Redlands, Masciopinto is incredible.

Hoodedmelo

Chicago looks good and are clear favorites. I've heard a lot about them and Brandeis, but what about the likes of Emory, NYU (looks like they are on their way up), and washU almost not having a season after that scandal last year

4samuy

 WashU always seems to be in the mix, and will probably make a little hay . IMHO the jury is still out on Emory.  NYU though, not buying it.  Although  they have started 3-0-1, it was the season opener 0-0 vs Brooklyn that can't be ignored. I believe that was the same team Case beat 10-0 a week ago .

blooter442

Quote from: Hoodedmelo on September 14, 2017, 09:32:37 PM
Chicago looks good and are clear favorites. I've heard a lot about them and Brandeis, but what about the likes of Emory, NYU (looks like they are on their way up), and washU almost not having a season after that scandal last year

WashU is a good side, year-in, year-out. I don't think they've been quite as good as they were, say, between 2010 and 2012, in the last few years, but they've still made the tournament more often than not. Every year I've followed the UAA (since fall 2011), WashU has been a tough out for every team, not the least the one I follow.

I am not totally sure of NYU. They graduated Lucas Doucette, an All-UAA Honorable Mention GK the past two years, and a guy who I think really kept them in a lot of games. They do bring back Tristan Medios-Simon who was 2nd team All-UAA last year, a transfer from D1 Seattle, and he is very good, so I think he'll win them some games.

Emory has Jason McCartney, who is good, but I don't see any other all-star caliber players. Maybe that is on me for not being familiar enough with the Eagles, but I would say Matt Sherr was the last real All-American caliber player they had (graduated in 2015).

One team that I think might be turning the corner this year is Carnegie. Looking back at the last few years, I think they might have been slightly overrated -- they've gotten at-large bids 3 out of the last 4 years, but haven't advanced beyond the second round, and lost in the 1st Round to Gordon in 2015 -- and, during that timeframe, CMU (perhaps along with WashU and Rochester) has been the archetype for "UAA team that gets a bid and folds in the first two rounds of NCAAs." However, that win at Redlands (and taking Kenyon to OT away from home) has me think this year might be different, although Carnegie always plays Kenyon tough. Still, to go and win at Redlands is no small feat.

4samuy

#25
Interesting,  No Lopez, Copotosto, Drablos, or Reiman in the starting lineup for Chicago today at Aurora.  Not sure if injuries, rest or just giving young guys some starting experience .  starting three freshman.

blooter442

Quote from: 4samuy on September 16, 2017, 03:43:47 PM
Interesting,  No Lopez, Copotosto, Drablos, or Reiman in the starting lineup for Chicago today at Aurora.  Not sure if injuries or rest.  starting three freshman.

Drablos didn't play against Loras, and Capotosto was taken off with 5 left. Not sure if injury or not, but Reimann and Lopez played the full 90, which leads me to believe both of the latter two are getting a rest, although not sure about the first two.

4samuy

Lopez enters the game in the 30th minute and scores in the 35 minute. That guy is a striker in every sense of the word. Excellent technical display and finish. Chicago up 1-0.

Hoodedmelo

Only one game on sunday with WashU coming from behind to win 2-1 against Illinois Wesleyan. Chicago Travels to Wheaton on Wednesday following their 6-0 win at Aurora. Wheaton then plays WashU on Saturday. Should be a win for Chicago. Will be interesting to see how WashU's performance on Saturday compares to Chicago's.
Brandeis also with a tough game on Friday against Tufts, lets see how they perform against a NESCAC side/defending national champs (one of tufts few out of conference games)

blooter442

Quote from: Hoodedmelo on September 18, 2017, 12:12:11 PM
Brandeis also with a tough game on Friday against Tufts, lets see how they perform against a NESCAC side/defending national champs (one of tufts few out of conference games)

Brandeis has competed pretty well against the NESCACs the last few years, going 3-1-2 since the start of the 2014 season. That includes 2 wins over Tufts (2014 home and 2015 away), 1 win over Bowdoin (2014 home), 1 defeat to Tufts in 2OT (2016 home), and both draws being PK wins over Amherst in the NCAA Tournament (2014 neutral and 2016 away). Of those games, 3 have been on turf (where they're 2-1-0) and 3 on grass (where they're 1-0-2).

Prior to the first of those games, a 2-0 home win over Tufts in September 2014, Brandeis was 0-3 in its last 3 against NESCACs (all on grass), losing twice to Williams at Amherst (2012 and 2013) and once away to Tufts (2013). Of those three games, Brandeis was only comprehensively outplayed in one -- the Tufts game -- but in both games against Williams, the reason for the defeats was they got absolutely manhandled in terms of athleticism and physicality. The Brandeis teams that first started to emerge around the start of the 2010s were very good technically and in possession, but were found wanting against more physical, direct opponents.

The start of the 2014 season saw more physical and athletic players, such as Ocel and Hernandez, come in, and Conor Lanahan -- a physical center back who went on to be a two-time All-American -- started to emerge as a leader of the rearguard, which made Brandeis much more able to compete with physical opponents.

In the NESCAC forum, we've talked about how Tufts has become increasingly tall in recent years, perhaps getting sucked into a NESCAC "arms race" initiated by the size of Amherst's roster. Looking at the Judges roster, Brandeis has been pretty consistent with having between 7-12 guys on its roster (of about 30) being 6' or taller -- not nearly as high percentage-wise as teams like Amherst and Tufts. But size isn't the only indicator: Christian Hernandez is 5'10", but is a hard-nosed defensive midfielder who knows how to play the physical game -- think Javier Mascherano. Then you have other guys like Robbie Lynch, who was not the tallest but was very athletic and physical at outside back, who could get up and down the flanks and mix it up. Height may help on corner kicks, but it is not the end-all, be-all -- Sam White of Bowdoin, who I watched in high school, was a big guy at 6'4", but did not mix it up physically as much as I thought he might have. Still a good player, no doubt, but I did wonder what he was doing in a midfield 2 in a 4-2-3-1 when it wasn't like he was flying into tackles left and right.

I watched the aforementioned 2-0 win over Tufts in 2014. Tufts dominated the first half without creating any clear-cut chances. Brandeis moved Mike Soboff from striker to midfield for the second half, and the Judges started bodying up against the Jumbos in the middle of the park. For the first time, it genuinely looked like Brandeis could get a goal against a NESCAC team -- the previous year against Tufts, the Judges were totally dominated. Anyway, as a result, Brandeis started creating more and more chances, and eventually broke through with around 12 minutes left. After the game, Coven remarked that the difference was that, in that year, Brandeis was better able to compete against the physicality of Tufts than it was before, and that trend has continued the past few years.

As far as this game goes, I am excited to see what happens, as this fixture has lived up to the hype for the past four years. Tufts stole a victory in the last minute of 2OT at Brandeis last year, in a game where the Judges mis-managed the situation by throwing guys forward and leaving the back exposed that late in the extra period (it was a pretty even game, overall). Before that, Brandeis beat Tufts home and away in 2014 and 2015, while Tufts dominated at home in 2013. This year, I think Tufts will be slightly favored, but you can't count out the Judges, as the 2015 win at Tufts was when the Jumbos were 5-0 and defending national champions, so Brandeis won't be awed by the occasion. As far as predictions go, it's too close to call for me, but I think both teams will be going for the win, and I wouldn't be surprised by either team winning.